American Legion Post 37 continues marching forward

ALEX.SANCHEZ@STAUGUSTINE.COM The Forward March committee, from left, Michael Barnes Commander of the post, Nancy Birchall Secretary of Treasury, Dan Sullivan, board member, and Ron Birchall President, has plans to revive the Legion into a museum and community center.

ALEX.SANCHEZ@STAUGUSTINE.COM The 37th American Legion in undergoing construction located on 1 Anderson Circle on July 29, 2014. The Forward March committee has plans to revive the Legion into a museum and community center.

ALEX.SANCHEZ@STAUGUSTINE.COM The 37th American Legion in undergoing construction located on 1 Anderson Circle on July 29, 2014. The Forward March committee has plans to revive the Legion into a museum and community center.

ALEX.SANCHEZ@STAUGUSTINE.COM Michael Barnes, Commander of the post, tours the second floor of the Legion on July 29, 2014. The Forward March committee has plans to revive the Legion into a museum and community center.

Last month, Focus 450 was presented and then discussed the legacy projects the group could put its efforts behind.

St. Augustine American Legion Post 37 was just one of the several entities seeking funding that day.

Since then, $200,000 has been raised and construction has started on the building.

The plans are to revive the building that sits on one of city’s waterfronts overlooking the Bridge of Lions.

Through the efforts of Forward March, partial funds already have been raised toward that end.

According to the corporation’s president, Ron Birchall, Forward March, Inc. is a nonprofit entity created to conduct the $2 million capital campaign for the American Legion legacy project and Post 37 is the organization’s first beneficiary. The American Legion is a wartime veteran’s service organization.

Monies have and will be raised from donations, grants, sponsors and fundraisers.

Post 37, located on Anderson Circle, was originally the bayfront mansion of Charles Hamblem, who was an important member of society in St. Augustine in the 20th century.

So far, a good part of the building has been gutted. Stairs that once stood in the middle of the building’s bottom floor have been removed to make room for the second floor.

With the help of Chris Forrest and Forrest Builders, LLC, there are further plans that call for elevating the profile of the balcony, adding a museum, conference rooms, private party rooms and a restaurant among other changes.

The renovations are taking place to provide a gathering place for veterans, a facility the general public also can enjoy and to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the city’s founding next year.

Birchall said he wants Post 37 to be able to bring in the public and tourists to enjoy the American Legion’s historical significance, social gatherings and excellent food.

Right now, the building doesn’t see much traffic.

“Even though there’s signs outside that say open to the public, I think it’s like this, nobody associates a club of American Legion Post with open to the public,” Dan Sullivan, Forward March board member said.

Unlike many posts, this one is available to the public.

“If you were chartered in mid-1919, which we were,” Michael Barnes, post commander said, “then you’re able to be open to the public with the food and beverage, the restaurant.”

In addition to having a place for the public to visit, the building also will be available for rent so St. Augustinians can have receptions, parties, weddings and other events in parts of the facility.

This will allow the building to become self-sufficient, Sullivan said.

“When we’re solvent, we want to put good back into the community,” Sullivan said. “It might be simple things, but we need to be solvent to do it, and that’s where we need help.”

Much like The Council on Aging, which created a new building that generated income, the goal is to be self-sustaining through the rental of the building to keep up the historic site.

The group also wants to revamp the building, for veteran’s to have a place to call home in St. Augustine.

“We have so many people who retired in St. Augustine who are military that they’ll want to join this legion more, obviously, if it’s a nice-looking spot,” said Nancy Birchall, secretary-treasurer.

Originally, it was the vision of St. Augustine’s Military Commemoration Committee, Ron Birchall said.

Lastly, the group wants to make the building a standing sentiment of the celebration of the 450th.

St. Augustine is the oldest continuous European Settlement and that’s for one reason, Ron Birchall said, there always was a militia here to protect it.

“We’re the oldest, so we need to be exposed to our tourists,” he said.

While the 400th celebration had things like the cross and the amphitheater built in the community as a lasting establishment, the 450th hasn’t had that, Nancy Birchall said.

“We’re doing something for the 450th that you can see, touch and enjoy until the 500th that no one else is doing,” she said. “This is the tangible thing we point to and people can point to in the 500th.”

The group is planning a military ball in January to kick off next year’s celebration.

“So now we’re not only doing a building,” she said, “but we’re also going to start an annual military ball.”

It will be the first one in St. Augustine and double as a fundraiser for the Forward March project.

“We hope that the community will begin to get excited in the things that we’re doing,” Barnes said.

Although some funds already have been raised, there’s still more to be done. To donate and for information, go to 4wardmarch.org.